Mohawk Valley Community College

SALINA BILLINS was appointed by Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC) to the grant-funded position of GEAR UP coordinator and will manage programming and support services for the GEAR UP program. Billins has been with MVCC since 2012 in several capacities, including GEAR UP academic specialist, adjunct instructor, and completion coach. She previously worked at Mohawk Valley Community Action Agency as a family advocate, child development site supervisor, ARRA job training program manager, education manager, and older youth vocational specialist. Billins holds a bachelor’s degree in education from SUNY Buffalo and a master’s degree in science, leadership, and instruction for inclusive classrooms from Utica College. NORMA CHRISMAN was promoted to the position of manager of educational technologies at MVCC. She is responsible for the operations of the college’s Educational Technologies Department, serving faculty, staff, and students; the software administration for all educational technologies initiatives; and actively engaging in technical training for all members of the college community. Chrisman previously held the title of educational technology specialist at MVCC since 2002. She previously worked for Herkimer County Trust as a PC software specialist, computer room supervisor, and IT operations administrator. Chrisman holds an associate degree in accounting from Herkimer County Community College and a bachelor’s degree in business from Bellevue University. JESSICA KACZOR has joined MVCC as a recruitment and employment specialist, a position in which she’ll be responsible for the coordination and implementation of human resource processes and procedures, including recruitment, employment, civil service processing, and payroll. Kaczor previously worked at Family Dollar Distribution as an HR generalist and human resources support coordinator. She also worked at Upstate Cerebral Palsy as a payroll/operations specialist, benefits specialist, and administrative assistant of recruitment. She also served as human resources specialist at Premier Aviation. Kaczor holds bachelor’s degrees in English and theatre from SUNY Oneonta. JEFFREY ZALEWSKI was appointed to the grant-funded position of completion coach in the Mandia Family Learning Commons at MVCC. He will be responsible for guiding, counseling, mentoring, and advocating for student success completion. Zalewski has worked at MVCC in several capacities since 2016, including TASC/GED exam instructor, adjunct instructor, and writing and history tutor. He previously was an exchange traded funds administrator for Bank of New York Mellon and an instructor at Bowling Green State University in Ohio.